Thomas Arthur Benjamin France MBE (born September 1935) is a British community organiser who founded the first West Indian carnival in Europe, in Leeds in 1967.
After arriving in Leeds, France worked as a porter with British Railways from 1957 to 1960.
[5][7] France has been widely recognized for his contributions to society and culture, both in the UK and in Nevis.
[10][11] France's contributions were celebrated by the Nevis Island Administration in 2017, on the 50th anniversary of the Leeds Carnival.
[14] In 2022, sociologist Max Farrar wrote an authorised biography of France, Speaking truth to power: The Life and Times of an African Caribbean British Man.